By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 09, 2011
TAMPA —
A proposal to restructure the Hillsborough County Commission inched closer to the ballot box on Wednesday, with the board directing county staff to draft a proposed ordinance that would, if approved, put the question to voters in the 2012 elections.
Commissioners voted unanimously to have staff to draft a proposed referendum to change the current make-up of four single-member commission districts and three countywide seats, by adding another single-member district and reducing the countywide seats to two.
The proposal was floated by Commissioner Les Miller, the board’s only black member, who argues that it would make county government more accessible to the people.
“The county is never too old to change and the time for change has come,” Miller said. “This would bring us closer to the people.”
Still, several commissioners expressed concerned about Miller’s proposal.
“I don’t like the Balkanization of communities, I like the melting pot,” said Mark Sharpe, who holds one of the countywide commission seats. “This is going to open up an enormous can of worms. It’s a major change.”
The current make-up of the board was established in 1983, partially as a reaction to a scandal that saw three commissioners jailed on federal charges for taking kickbacks.
Miller said the county’s explosive growth since that time – from 650,000 residents counted in the 1980 census to more than 1.2 million people now – has made the single-member districts unwieldy. The four current commission districts average 307,000 people. Adding a district would reduce the average population to 247,000 people.
“Right now we represent more constituents than any other county in the state,” he said.
Miller said the changes also would boost Hispanic representation. Hispanic groups pressed the board earlier this year to alter districts to increase the Hispanic population in District 1, held by Sandy Murman, to 36 percent. Commissioners rejected the idea.
“Our commission needs to represent the racial diversity of our citizens,” Miller said.
From here, the county attorney’s office will draft an ordinance with proposed ballot language, which would have to get pre-clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice.
If the DOJ signs off on the wording, the ordinance goes back to the commission for public hearings and a vote, which must be passed by a super-majority of five votes.
